Pure Darjeeling
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Commercial Description
...delicate aroma and Flavor with a very slight hint of astringency. This tea is part of the classic collection of black blends. The loose teas have been specially selected for their quality while still representing excellent value, so are ideal for everyday use...
Ratings & Reviews
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70 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5Karen Hong (2 reviews) on Oct. 17th, 2017
I remember vividly the impression of black tea I first tried at my host family's home in England where I had studied English for several months. It was one rainy morning in the last flight of April in 2014 and I have since been a tea enthusiast. I still don't know what sort of tea that was - it might be English breakfast with milk because my host mother offered me that every morning with a piece of toast and some sweet soupy thing - I know this is called “poridge”. Reminiscence of the milky taste and wildflower-ish smell always brought me delight.
Since the return to my homeland, I had sought to find the exact taste - fortunately, my taste goblet harboured its sweet-bitterness. I tried a few sorts of black teas from Twinings, Betty Nardi, Ahmad and some other affordable brands. I even read books about tea: The Tea Cyclopedia and The Book of Tea. Alas, all those purchases had got me strapped - goody-goodys are out of money most of the time - but turned out to be worthwhile: I found the proximity in the long run, yet much better and stronger in all.
Wedgwood's pure darjeeling was the best one for the newbie tea drinker and college student with a finicky palate. I don't drink alcoholic beverages and darjeeling is renowned as “the champagne of black tea”, but not among my acquaintances. Getting a trick out of it, I posted on a brief review of the tea, saying “I'm addicted to it.” with a couple of hashtags directly mentioning “champaign” and “black tea”. To my amusement, no one noticed them!
It's been already about two years since the thrilling moment I was struck with the dulcet mouthfeel, but I still enjoy this grapey darjeeling (and a wonderful champagne for tea drinkers indeed) with a bit of pleasant bitter finish. Adding milk or sugar spoils its pure and full-bodied taste. A nip of milk would be enough if it's too strong for you or just want it to be a bit softer. Also, mere astringency and smoky taste remains if you brew it over 5 minutes, so you cannot feel its greatness.
62 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5Alex Zorach (1448 reviews) on May. 18th, 2017
This is a very dark Darjeeling. I enjoyed it as a change of pace; most high-end tea companies tend to sell lighter Darjeelings but sometimes I like the darker ones. Even though I often prefer the flavor of the lighter teas, I tend to feel better after drinking the darker ones, and this was no exception.
The dry leaf is pleasantly fragrant, typical for a Darjeeling of a darker color. We opened a new tin right when I tried this, and I think it was very fresh when I brewed it.
The cup is quite dark in color and pleasantly aromatic, smelling fresh and herbal but also a bit toasty. Interestingly, for a darker Darjeeling, there's a complete absence of malty or caramel notes, ones that I often encounter more of in second flush teas. Notes of rice and flowers, also a few smoky notes in there, almost like cigarettes. The fragrance reminds me of being a kid and being in a clean airport, a mix of a lot of different smells, mostly good to neutral, but with a note of stale cigarette smoke in the background.
Flavor is fairly middle-of-the-road for a black tea, there's a little bitterness. More astringent than typical. I found the astringency refreshing. The aftertaste is a little bitter, and leaves a note of stale coffee grounds on the palate, something I could do without.
This didn't wow me, but so far it is my favorite tea sold by Wedgwood. The Wedgwood teas tend to be very strong for my tastes, which makes me wonder if they're intended to be drunk with milk (I always drink my tea plain).
Page 1 of 1 page with 2 reviews
More Black Tea from from Wedgwood
Luxury Orange Pekoe Loose
| Style: | Ceylon Black Tea |
| Region: | Sri Lanka / Ceylon |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Leaf: | Loose |
